After a night of bad sleep in
our camp 3 (7,300m), because of the thin air and a lot of anxiety (with
temperatures of -22șC), Irivan and I decided to descend to base camp, aborting
our 1st attempt to make our final attack.

It was very difficult to make
this decision of quitting the climb of Everest, but we think it was necessary,
because our climb to the summit would be a great risk with no certainty. And,
in case we would not reach the 8,848m of altitude, we probably would not have
conditions for a new attempt, such would be our physical deterioration.

Our strategy was very clear,
for me and for Irivan: with the delay of the "window" promised by the monsoon,
and with the indication that a diminution of the winds by the weather
forecasts, it looked like we had conditions to reach the top of Everest on the
next early morning. But, unhappily, the forecast change everyday, and in this
next early morning the cold could be of -38șC on the top of Everest, with
winds of 30 to 50 Km/h, and relative humidity, beginning from 7,300m of
altitude, of 100%, which means that tomorrow it will certainly snow on the top
of Everest and visibility will be minimal.

But, as I have just said,
forecasts change, and, betting on that, today a lot of people (maybe 40) will
climb from camp 3 (7,300m) to camp 4 (8,000m), with the expectative of
starting later in the night the final climb of Everest. I think that at least
ten people would get to the top of Everest this Saturday morning, probably the
stronger Sherpas, along with their stronger clients.

Certainly, some of the
climbers I saw passing by our camp 3 this morning (they are walking a lot
using oxygen bottles), won't have a chance to get to the top of Everest, they
will only suffer the cold and great risks of frostbite, and probable will be
surprised by the fog in the middle of the climb.

Well, I was talking that our
strategy to climb Everest was very clear, so Irivan and I are not sad for
aborting our first attempt of the final attack. We think that we still are
going to climb Everest this season, with certainty and contemplating a
beautiful view of the highest point of the world.

Our hope is that now the
"windows" of good weather comes before the arrival of the summer monsoons
(humid winds that blow from south to north, causing a lot of storms). The
summer monsoon usually starts in the middle of May, but this year is much
delayed, that is why nobody has climbed Everest yet. When the summer monsoon
starts, it brings in its front a great mass of high pressure, that mass
propagates towards Everest, making the "jet stream" disappear (the strong
winds in high altitudes) guaranteeing practically 4 to 5 days of good weather,
without wind or humidity, in other words, the so called "window", a natural
phenomena that happens every year on Everest.

We were paying attention to
the news of the arrival of the monsoon, and nothing. But today, finally, the
news came that the monsoon is taking form on the Indic Ocean, to the south of
India, and then it will move to the north.

I would also like to say,
that Irivan and I are very healthy and, despite being on a trip for two
months, full of melancholy for the people we love, our hope of finishing the
ascent of Everest with success is great.

The top picture shows the
superior pyramid of Everest as seen from our tent in camp 3, being hit by very
strong winds, around 10 hours this morning. In the bottom, some tents of camp
3 and two climbers that began climbing to camp 4 but decided to turn around.

A big hug,

Waldemar
and Irivan

Translated from Portuguese by
Jorge Rivera

Dispatches

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